Between The Stars
by AlySimmons
Summary: On Taking Sides: "It would seem like, that if we, unfortunately, broke up, all of our friends would be on your team." -Athrun Zala
1. Life Goes On

**Hey, as you all notice, this title is the same as Seed's OVA's because this is simply a compilation of oneshots and pointless fluff with no exact plot that happened between Seed and Seed Destiny.**

**These stuffs had been on my mind since forever. Oh, and as much as I want to, I don't own Gundam Seed and Seed Destiny.**

**But anyway...**

**Between the Stars**

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Lacus POV

I stared in awe and amazement at everything that unfolded in front of my eyes.

The blond lunged forward but the blue-head certainly had a few tricks up his sleeve when he dodged that punch. I know I wouldn't be able to do that. That fist would hit me square in the face.

And as the blue-head went for the offense, it seemed that his opponent was on equal grounds as him. With her fast reflexes, she twirled gracefully, avoiding a hand uppercut, or whatever you called it, with ease. For them, it seemed all natural and I continued to observe how they moved. Being in the military does have its advantages, I realized.

Right now, both were through doing punches and each held a knife in his hand. Now, where did that come from? I had no idea.

I pursed my lips. Surely, they couldn't be that fast, can they? But then, they were trained soldiers, both the top of the class and they were both mobile suit pilots. Even then, I doubt Kira could move like that.

I had no problems with Athrun's moves as I had anticipated that his skills were far superior than most of the ZAFT elites. What surprised me the most was the alertness of Cagalli. Don't misunderstand, I'm very confident of Cagalli's skills but even I couldn't deny that a coordinator, much less a man is genetically and physically stronger and faster.

But it seemed Cagalli proved my theory wrong. And I'm proud of that. Hey, I'm a girl too, you know.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and tensed. If I was Cagalli, I would've already tackled him but after one glance at the person, I'm quite relieved not to be Cagalli. I wouldn't find it in me to hurt Kira in any way, after all.

"Hey," he said.

"Kira," I smiled a little. "You gave me a fright."

"Really?" he asked, worried. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's alright, Kira," I said and he intertwined his fingers with mine.

"So," he started. "What exactly _are_ they doing?"

"Well, from what I understand, they are training." I stated.

"Training?" Kira raised an eyebrow.

"It seemed that Cagalli wanted some practice on her skills and asked Athrun to help her." I stated in a matter-of-factly tone. "They had been doing this for a few weeks already, or so I'm told."

"I'm just surprised Athrun could actually fight Cagalli." He mused. "They _are_ using real knives, right?"

"…I presume they're using the real ones." I pondered for a moment.

Kira sighed and smiled. "Well, I've got to go inside. I still have to return a message from Mom."

"Oh, OK. I'll follow in soon." I assured him and he gave me a peck on the cheeks.

And in that moment, I was glad that Kira didn't see the position Athrun and Cagalli were in right now. I didn't see how but it looked like Cagalli won. She was on top of him and was straddling him, holding a knife that was pressed against Athrun's neck. Both were panting. Kira's a supporter of Athrun and Cagalli's relationship but if it went too far...he is still the good ol' big brother who we all know is very protective.

I smiled. I guess the student surpassed the teacher.

"I actually won!" Cagalli had a wide smile on her face.

"I'm proud of you," Athrun got up from lying on the sand. "So, how long did it take you to beat me? 178 times, was it?"

"Oh, shut up, Athrun!" Cagalli pouted. "The point is I won."

"Well, in that case," Athrun smiled, wrapping his arms around Cagalli's waist, facing each other. "Point taken. Very taken."

I suppressed a giggle and left my spot behind the bushes by the seashore, just as their lips met.

I smiled and looked up the violet and peach colored sky, letting my thoughts wander for a moment and followed inside the orphanage just as I promised Kira

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**R&R please! This is my second try at fanfics! So please help me improve my writing by giving me constructive criticism through your reviews. So, please...REVIEW! =D**


	2. Sunrise Is Our Tomorrow

**Between The Stars**

**Sunrise…Our Tomorrow

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**

It was still dark when the blue-head yawned for the 38th time.

"Cagalli, would you please kindly explain why we're up at 4:30 in the morning?" Athrun demanded, stifling yet another yawn.

"Are you serious Athrun?" Cagalli looked at him incredulously. "It's almost sunrise! I cannot miss sunrise."

"Really? But isn't it too early?" Athrun asked. "Even the military doesn't wake us up until 5:30. And besides, dawn's not until quarter to six here in Orb."

"Well, there's no such thing as being too early, now, is there?" Cagalli leaned on the railing of her balcony, a soft breeze blowing.

"So, tell me, why do you have to see the sunrise anyway?" Athrun leaned beside her. "You can always watch the sunset. Most people watch the sunset."

"Well I'm not like most people." Cagalli held her chin up. "And…why do you ask?"

"Like I said," Athrun smiled, "I'm curious. Couples watch sunsets all the time…most people do. Why not you?"

"Well, I always liked sunsets ever since I was little." Cagalli admitted. "But after my mother died, I started to hate it…despise and loathe it even."

"Why?" Athrun whispered.

"Because that's when my mom died…during sunset." Cagalli explained. "Since then, it only reminded me of darkness…that light is fading away. When the yellow and the orange disappear and turn to black, I couldn't help but feel, I don't know, hopeless?"

"Cagalli…" Athrun held her hand tightly. "I'm sorry."

"No, you shouldn't be." Cagalli fought back tears. "You should also understand why I love the sunrise…You see, I was never a morning person but when I joined the military, it became an obligation…an obligation I hated. But the more I looked at the sunrise, the more I feel hopeful, I guess."

Cagalli turned to Athrun who gazed at her and nodded, urging her to go on.

"It was the exact opposite of sunset." Cagalli took a deep breath. "Unlike the sunset, the sunrise marks a new day, a new beginning, a new journey and a new path. Especially with the war and all, even when I already lost all hope, if I watched the sun rising, I'll know that there's still hope and that hope is what keeps us here right now, isn't it?"

Athrun smiled, understandingly. "Yeah…your point of view is very deep and you really understood your belief…"

"And it also tells me that we have a tomorrow to look forward to." Cagalli said. "Isn't that right?"

"Yes…tomorrow." Athrun turned to look at the dark sky. "That's all we will ever want."

They stood there in each other's arms for God knows how long, content with only the presence of their significant other.

"Athrun, it's starting," Cagalli looked up as the sky began to turn to a pale pink then peach. They watched as the colors changed from orange to yellow and a little bit of lavender and finally, a pale blue.

"There it is, Athrun," Cagalli laid her head on Athrun's chest. "There's our tomorrow."

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**Please REVIEW! =D**


	3. The Threat

**So, I kind of based this on a FRIENDS episode I watched...which I don't own, sadly.**

**But anyway...**

**Between the Stars**

**The Threat**

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"Athrun, can I talk to you?" Kira said as soon as the others went outside.

"Sure."

"Alright, look, this isn't your best friend speaking to you but Cagalli's brother." Kira looked at him seriously.

"So, I'm not your best friend?" Athrun asked, a bit confused.

"Well, yeah," Kira nodded. "At least not for a few minutes, yes."

"Okay…"

"Athrun, I say this from the bottom of my heart." Kira started. "I love you both- you and Cagalli, that is. You're my best friend and Cagalli's my sister. And the fact that you and her are together and love each other makes me really happy."

"And even though I've only known Cagalli for a few months and have just known that she's my twin sister more recently, she's still precious to me. So I'm warning you Athrun, if you ever hurt her in any way and make her feel so bad and depressed that she'd cry, I'll hunt you down and kick your ass!" Kira glared at Athrun, who was very much speechless.

There was silence. And Athrun nodded, trying to suppress his laughter.

"Alright," Athrun nodded slowly. "I understand, Kira."

"Good." Kira smiled. "I'm very glad we had this talk."

And that's when Athrun couldn't take it any longer. His usually calm composure cracked and he laughed.

"Hey, wait!" Kira said. "Why the hell are you laughing?"

But Athrun couldn't answer, or at least his response couldn't be understood by the confused Kira. "S-s-s-sorry, b-but…God," and then there were more laughter and chuckles.

"Why _are_ you laughing?" Kira demanded, still confused.

This time, Athrun was able to control himself a bit. "I'm sorry, Kira but it's just…well, I don't think I can take you seriously with that."

"Hey! Don't forget I'm the one who almost killed you!" Kira defended himself.

"Kira," Athrun sighed. "I'm not saying your skills suck but c'mon, when it comes to hand-to-hand combat, I just can't see you beating someone up."

"Fine!" Kira pouted, which was weird.

**A little while later…**

"Hey," Kira approached Cagalli, Shiho and Milly who were at the porch.

"Oh, hi Kira!"

"Cagalli, I just wanted to tell you that I already clarified things with Athrun." Kira grinned.

"Uh, clarified what?" Cagalli asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I told him that if he ever hurt you and made you cry, I'll hunt him down and kick his ass!" Kira looked proud with himself despite Athrun's reaction earlier.

The girls all fell silent and looked at each other.

And in the next minute later, they all laughed, much like how Athrun did.

"Hey!" Kira yelled to stop the laughing. "Why are you guys laughing? What the _hell _is so _damn_ funny?"

"We're sorry, Kira," Cagalli said in between giggles. "But seriously, Kira, you beating Athrun? Yeah, right!"

"Yeah, Kira," Miriallia explained. "It's not like we doubt your skills as a mobile suit pilot but there is so no way you can ever beat up Athrun."

"I'm sorry, Kira, but I'm afraid it's true." Shiho shrugged.

"Oh, _c'mon_!" Kira whined, kind of. "Did anyone here _forget_ about the fact that we fought neck to neck a few months ago? And I _almost_ won if he didn't self-destruct the Aegis?"

"Don't worry," Cagalli said. "We all know that."

"Kira, like I said, we never doubted you skills in controlling a GUNDAM but beating up someone?" Milly crossed her arms. "No way."

"So not your forte, Kira." Shiho agreed.

**And a little while later,_ again…_**

"Hey, uh, Lacus?" Kira walked towards the pink princess who was then making dinner.

"Yes, Kira?" Lacus turned towards him and smiled.

"Lacus, you think I could beat Athrun up, right?" Kira asked.

Lacus became silent for a minute and said, "Yes of course, Kira. I have no doubt in my mind that you can beat Athrun up, as you said."

"_Thank you_," Kira kissed Lacus on the cheek and left, muttering, "Great! Ha! I _knew_ I could beat up Athrun…"

**But when Kira left the kitchen…**

Lacus giggled uncontrollably while cutting the carrots. "I'm terribly sorry, Kira, but I'm afraid I don't think you could ever beat up Athrun."

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**I apologize to all Kira-fans and please, R&R...**

**But, on the bright side, Kira did kind of kicked Athrun's ass when he destroyed the Savior because he made Cagalli cry.**

**Well, like I said in my fic, Kira's pretty good when it comes to mobile suits but I seriously don't think he could beat up Athrun.**

**Don't take me wrong, I love Kira but it's definitely not in his character to do something violent like beat Athrun up or anyone, for that matter.**

**So please, R&R, and as always, REVIEW! Thanks! =D  
**


	4. Girls VS Boys

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED/ Destiny**

**Between The Stars**

**Girls vs. Boys

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**

"So, let me get this straight," Miriallia put a hand up. "You're angry and pissed off at him because he _didn't_ kill you?"

The four girls were in Lacus' room after the gang pestered Athrun and Cagalli about their 'first meeting'. Midway through the narration, Cagalli and Athrun had a row because Athrun didn't 'kill' Cagalli after he found out that she's a girl.

Cagalli nodded furiously, "Of course! It's as if I was degraded of my dignity!"

"How, exactly?" Lacus furrowed her eyebrows, obviously confused.

"Well, technically, I _do_ get Cagalli's point on this," Shiho said. "I'd be pissed off real bad if a guy wouldn't let me do things just because I'm a girl."

"See?" Cagalli used her hands for emphasis.

"I know you guys hate being discriminated and all, I mean, I do too," Milly said. "But aren't you going overboard with this? So, you're saying that you _wanted_ him to kill you?"

"Well, not really, no," Cagalli shook her head. "But my point is, that guy didn't kill me just because I'm a girl. Or in simpler words, he looked down on me…belittled me…took me for nothing!"

"As much as that's a messed-up logic," Shiho pointed out. "I have to agree with Cagalli on this one."

"Well, that is true," Lacus put a finger on her chin. "I, for one, would not like it if Kira treats me like a damsel in distress. I may not have the ability to shoot guns or pilot mobile suits like Cagalli and Shiho but I'm not a spoiled brat who could do nothing for herself."

"Yeah. Girls are better than boys." Milly said, though her statement seemed more like a fact than an opinion.

"So true," Shiho agreed.

"I mean, we're better at academics," Milly stated.

The other three nodded.

"We kick butt and ass real good," Cagalli continued.

The other three nodded.

"We make both men and women clothes look exceptionally fashionable," Lacus pointed out.

The other three nodded.

"We can do things that men could and couldn't do," Shiho smirked.

The other three nodded.

"We're more organized, disciplined and responsible than guys will ever be," Milly said.

The other three nodded.

"We're always reliable," Cagalli said.

The other three nodded.

"We're better with kids," Lacus said.

The other three nodded.

"Hell, we'll always be better than guys, no matter when or where," Shiho concluded and once again, the other three nodded.

**Outside the door…**

"So, you almost killed her?" Dearkka asked incredulously.

"Well, I thought she was a guy and…" Athrun trailed off.

"Funny," Kira reminisced. "I thought she was a guy too when I first met her."

"No kidding!" Athrun said.

"Did Cagalli really look like a guy back then?" Yzak asked.

"Kind of, yeah," Kira and Athrun nodded.

"She should be thankful you're a gentleman," Dearkka pointed out.

"Tsk, tsk, girls…they're so weak," Yzak shook his head.

"Well, they do shop a lot," Kira cringed as he remembered when he became victim to Lacus' shopping trip…a bag boy…*shudders*.

"They're pretty loud, nosy and they gossip too much," Dearkka shrugged.

"They act as if they could do everything by themselves and don't need any protection," Athrun pursed his lips, recalling the time when he and Cagalli argued about security, of all things.

"Girls, they think they're better than us guys," Yzak sighed. "When in reality, they aren't even close to what we could do."

The others could only nod in agreement.

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So, what about you? Who's better- girls or boys?

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**Well, for me, since I'm a girl, of course I'd say girls are better. But it'd be wrong for me to say that boys are good-for-nothing idiots because they are of use too.**

**Well, the bottom line here is that men or women, girls or boys, we're just the same because we've got ups and downs, advantages and disadvantages all the same. I really hate those who discriminate or abuse others because of gender. Now that'll really piss me off.**

**Thanks for reading and please, I hope that you liked it and that you'd review!**


	5. Waterfall

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed/Destiny or any of the characters because if I did, drastic changes would have been made.**

**Waterfall**

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They were at the beach, the whole lot of them – well, except for Yzak and Shiho since they went back to PLANT to do some work that the others assumed had already been stacked into large piles on their desks. But then again, seeing that this was Yzak and Shiho they were talking about, such things were close to an impossibility.

It had been near five in the afternoon and hints of orange flashed through the sky, warning others of the impending darkness that was going to inevitably fall upon them. The children had gone to the amusement park that day, along with Aunt Caridad, Myrna and Reverend Malchio – Aunt Caridad and Myrna going because they had missed terribly the times when the Hibiki twins were children and were wanting to relive the happy memories.

Dearkka had lifted Miriallia off the ground and she was struggling to get out of his grasp. She waved her arms around but could not move as Dearkka had secured both her legs with his strong arm. He then threw her on the mat playfully.

Miriallia took his face between her hands and kissed him full on the lips. She wrinkled her nose after letting go of the make-out session and commented, "Wow, you've improved."

Dearkka raised an eyebrow, "Improved on what?"

"Your kissing," She stated. "When we first started going out, you couldn't kiss at all."

"Hey!" Dearkka said, indignant. "I so can kiss!...Right?"

"I'm sorry, Dearkka," Kira answered from his place on the sand. "I can't give you an answer for that, seeing as how I've never kissed a man, let alone you before." And he, along with Lacus who snuggled in the crook of his arm, laughed. Dearkka scowled.

Athrun and Cagalli, who saw the scene, laughed as well, drenched from their swim. Athrun whispered something into Cagalli's ear and she giggled uncharacteristically. He tugged on her elbow, tilting his head, silently telling her to follow him. They went away from the others silently.

It was a long way from the beach, the destination which Athrun had led them to but Cagalli concluded it was worth it. The sight itself was mesmerizing, that is, unless you're acrophobic, which Cagalli knew she wasn't.

They were on top of a waterfall and Cagalli smiled in amusement that although she lived in Orb for the whole seventeen years of her existence, there were still some places in her beloved country that she hadn't known of. It amuses her even more that Athrun who had only resided here for just a little over a year had found this place earlier than her.

"Do you remember that time when Dearkka and I suddenly went missing that time we last went to the beach?" he started, his fingers entwined with his significant other.

Cagalli answered with a nod, "Yeah, we were worried that time, Milly and I."

"We came here," he told her. "And do you know what we did when we reached this place?"

She shook her head.

"We jumped."

Cagalli gaped, "You're saying that you and Dearkka jumped about fifty feet off the ground into the water and lived?"

"It's not that hard to accomplish, Cagalli, not really," He smiled at her. "And besides, we're soldiers."

"And coordinators," Cagalli said. "And sadists."

"Not sadists," Athrun grinned. "Although I admit, it was Dearkka who persuaded me to do such a thing and I assure you, it was quite enjoyable."

"Oh really?" Cagalli contested. "And so you expect me to jump with you?"

Silence.

Athrun then faced her, "Do you trust me?"

Cagalli looked at him solemnly and after a while, told him, "More than those who I have ever trusted combined."

"Good," He said. "Hop on."

She was scared, she knew, but Cagalli wrapped her arm around his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist still, albeit tight enough to choke someone to death.

"You can loosen up a little, you know," he laughed.

She sighed sharply, "Do you trust me?"

"The same as how much you trust me," he answered.

"Then trust that I won't strangle you to death," she squeezed her eyes shut and he laughed again.

"Hold on tight," he told her and they jumped into the cool abyss that was the lake beneath the waterfall.

Cagalli felt the rapid air on her face and heard the water falling from the river about fifty feet high up the ground before hearing the splash she and Athrun made themselves. She found herself deep in the water and in instinct, raced to the surface in hopes of air.

She lifted her head up and swallowed as much oxygen as she could. When she could breathe normally again as the adrenaline slowly melted from her senses, she found herself gathered in Athrun's arms and when she opened her eyes, she laughed.

"Well?" Athrun asked, his eyes sparkling in amusement.

"That was amazing," Cagalli gasped and both laughed together.

With the close proximity they were sharing, it was obvious to what will come next. Cagalli wrapped her arms around Athrun's neck and they kissed passionately.

This had gone on for a few minutes until they heard a shout above. They looked up to see Dearkka on top of the waterfall, grinning.

"I knew you'd take her here," He shouted, his words directed to Athrun, obviously. "But come on already, we've already packed our stuff. Lacus suggested we go out for dinner and – Hey, Kira! No, haven't seen them yet…No, thought it was them but…"

Athrun then proceeded to lead Cagalli to shore where they laughed again. "I should thank Dearkka later."

"For not letting Kira have the chance to cut your head off?" Cagalli supplied.

"Yes."

Kira may be Athrun's best friend but when it came to being intimate with Cagalli, all hell will break loose.

They laughed once more before heading back to the beach.

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**I'm really sorry about the super long updates of my other fics, that is, if you read them. Sometimes, I just really can't write anything and if at times I wanted to, I couldn't find the time to actually write something. I had been daydreaming lately and this was the result. I wrote this within thirty minutes so I really hope that you guys liked it.**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	6. Strawberry Milk Kiss

**Disclaimer: I'm telling you, if I did own the franchise, my God, you'd be surprised and shocked beyond belief at the changes.**

**Strawberry Milk Kiss**

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"Ah, so this is why you demanded that I buy strawberry milk," Athrun said, amused, while eyeing Cagalli's bowl of cereal which, instead of the usual milk, was drenched in strawberry milk.

Cagalli, who sat cross-legged on the couch in his apartment holding a bowl of cereal, looked at him and puffed her cheeks, "One, I never demanded you to buy it and two, really, strawberry milk as a partner of cereal isn't really that big a deal."

"I never said it was, did I?" Athrun smiled, sitting next to her. "But it's unsual, I'll give you that."

"It's good," she informed. "Want to try it?"

"Nah, I'll pass," he raised a hand.

"Come on, it's really good," she pleaded. "Please? Pretty please?"

"Strawberry milk isn't really my thing," He told her.

She gave him a look, "Fine, if you don't want to…"

She turned her back to him and he, sensing the impending threat which will lead to his displeasure and discomfort, sighed. She inwardly cheered, knowing that she won without having to do anything at all. She knew Athrun was the type of person who never wanted to be in trouble or get into the middle of one.

"Here," Cagalli grinned as she took out a spoonful of cereal. "Ahh…"

Athrun cringed, "You don't have to do that…"

"Why?" Cagalli teased. "Are you embarrassed?"

"No," Athrun said coolly. "I'm more embarrassed for you."

Cagalli laughed and shook her head, "Come on."

Athrun swallowed the spoonful of cereal and had a thoughtful look, "Hm. Not bad."

"Not bad?" Cagalli raised an eyebrow.

"You know," Athrun smiled, eyeing the spoon. "We just had an indirect kiss."

Cagalli looked at the spoon and then at Athrun, smiling, "Yeah, we had. But you know what?"

Athrun didn't move when Cagalli leaned closer so that their faces were only inches away from each other. "What?"

"I like direct kisses better."

Athrun's hands moved to caress Cagalli's arm, "Really?"

Cagalli wrapped an arm around Athrun's neck, "Mmhm."

"I like them better too," Athrun whispered against Cagalli's lips as he moved in and gently covered her lips with his.

Cagalli kissed him back, pushing him backwards so that she was on top of him. She played with his hair while Athrun's hands were tightly holding her body. When they parted, Athrun smirked, "I definitely like strawberry milk now."

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**Okay, I can testify this: Strawberry milk? Great with cereal. Seriously. I mean, I thought my brother went insane when I saw pink liquid in his cereal bowl but as it turns out, strawberry milk? Pretty good.**

**That aside, I hope that the story's not too fluffy and if it was, well I just hope that you guys liked it! Please review!**


	7. How To Manipulate Your Girlfriend

**Disclaimer: I don't own...blah blah blah...Gundam Seed/ Destiny...blah blah blah**

**How To Manipulate Your Girlfriend**

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Cagalli couldn't help but squint at the blinding light that was forcing her eyes to open and when she tried to entangle herself out of the wounded limbs, she felt his arms tighten around her. Oh, the irony of it all.

Cagalli smiled to herself as she fluttered her eyes open and saw the sleeping man beside her. She secretly loved it when he was like this – sleeping, peaceful and of course, vulnerable. That was the best part.

She was able to unwound their intertwined fingers and before she attempted to poke him in the cheek, a hoarse voice suddenly whispered, "Don't even think about it."

She hid her surprise with a smirk, "You're awake. I was going to wake you up."

He still had his eyes closed, "You can't fool me, Cagalli. You were going to poke me and then tickle me mercilessly."

That was exactly what Cagalli had planned on doing but her intuitive boyfriend just had to ruin it. She sighed, "Well, since you discovered my devious schemes, the only thing I could do now is work. Work, work, work."

At this, Athrun tightened his hold on her. "Nuh-uh. Just a few more minutes. It's probably still early anyway."

Cagalli gave a chuckle, "Look, the sooner I finish the papers, the sooner we'd get to do something fun."

"And may I ask what that idea of fun is?" Athrun opened his eyes finally, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh you know what I mean," Cagalli looked at him suggestively. "Now, I've got to get out of bed."

She had one foot on the floor when he suddenly yanked her towards the bed again, "No, you don't."

"Athrun!" Cagalli laughingly scolded. "Seriously. Kisaka's coming by to pick up the papers. I told him that I'd get it done by this afternoon."

"You're going to have to change the deadline then."

"No way," Cagalli shook her head. "Do you know how long it took me to convince him to let me stay here with you, at least before I officially become the chief representative?"

"Just a second?" Athrun tried.

"No, you dope," Cagalli slapped his arm playfully. "Try a bit longer than that. The point is, if I don't get the paperwork done in time, he'd think that you're bad influence in my working abilities and therefore, he would no longer let me stay with you."

"Is that so?" Athrun whispered against her blond mane.

"So, you see?" Cagalli said, getting up from the bed again, grabbing a shirt of Athrun's that was beside the bed. "I have to finish the papers today. So, there shouldn't be any distractions. No, let me rephrase that. There shouldn't be any distractions from _you_, got it?"

"Oh, I couldn't guarantee that," Athrun smirked, eyeing Cagalli who was standing on the floor with a hand on her waist, head to toe. "And by the way, I'd prefer you without the shirt, even though it's mine."

Cagalli blushed tomato red and flung the nearest pillow her hands could get a hold of at Athrun who unsurprisingly was able to catch it with one hand even when he's lying on the bed with his eyes closed. "What did I just say about you and making distractions?"

"I thought I told you – there's no guarantee to that," Athrun smiled, opening his eyes.

"Damn you!" Cagalli pouted, her hands clenched on her sides and she stomped out of the room, slamming the bedroom door and Athurn could hear profanities about him pouring out of her mouth.

Athrun stifled his laughter, "God, Cagalli. See what I did? I just made you motivated enough to finish your work faster. Bad influence on your working abilities my ass."

Athrun then proceeded to wrap a blanket around himself, thinking about how cute his girlfriend was before drifting off to the peaceful melody which was Cagalli's endless chatter and string of profanities coming from the next room.

* * *

**I have no idea where this came from. Seriously. NO IDEA. **

**Anyway, it's a bit mature, I guess. But it's not too graphic that I have to ban kids from reading it, right?**

**And when Cagalli said, "before I officially become chief representative", let me clarify that. You see, after the war, I don't think Cagalli immediately became the country's leader. I mean, the girl just came back from war! Give her a break. But then, hey, it's not my show. It _is_ my story though so in this story, the chapters/ oneshots all take place _before_ Cagalli becomes chief representative. This story is just all about the characters spending time with each other and having fun too. **

**And not that this is just a relaxation from the Chinese History quiz that I have to study for. So fitting, right? Chinese New Year=Chinese History quiz. Haha. For all those Chinese out there, Happy Chinese New Year!**

**Finally, hope you guys liked it and please review!**


	8. Dream

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam SEED/ Destiny. Never had and never will.**

* * *

**Dream**

He felt around her side of the bed. It was empty and cold.

He groaned aloud and opened his eyes. Sure enough, her side of the bed wasn't even touched. He massaged the bridge of his nose in exasperation and, in all his shirtless glory, sat up on the bed and walked out of the bedroom.

He ruffled his hair, pushing his bangs away and he saw her standing there, her back facing him. She was looking out of the glass window, her blond hair tied up in a very messy bun. Her arms were crossed, a hand holding a glass of half-filled tequila.

He sighed and slowly, quietly walked up towards her, barely noticing the stack of papers on the desk and a bottle of opened tequila on the side. She looked mesmerized with the lights of the city skyline before her and from her very faint reflection on the glass window; he could see the eye bags which decorated her face. He furrowed his eyebrows in pity.

He then wrapped his arms around her waist. She didn't seem to notice his presence until the physical affection he just showed but she wasn't surprised by it either. She simply inclined her neck towards him, like a puppy rubbing its cheek towards its owner.

"You should get some sleep, Cagalli," he whispered softly, resting his chin lightly on her shoulders.

"I still have some work left to do…" she replied half-heartedly.

"Is it due later?" he asked.

"No…but if I don't do this load now, work might pile up into a twenty storey building," she stated, chuckling quietly.

"That's not exactly funny, you know," he deepened his frown.

"You worry too much," she told him.

"You're not getting any sleep," he insisted.

"I get sleep…" she shrugged. "I'll sleep tonight…well, later. After I finish work."

"An hour a night doesn't count, Cagalli," he stated, tightening his hold around her waist.

"I'm sorry," she sighed. "But I just…I have to do this."

He didn't reply in an instant and Cagalli closed her eyes, resting her head against his. She opened her eyes again when he suddenly spoke, "You know, sometimes, I wish that you'd stop doing this. Then we could go out, escape…maybe live in a beach house or a small cottage or something – " she chuckled. " – we could spend the day lying on the sand or swimming, feeling the soft sea breeze on our faces…then we could travel the world…visit _the_ island…Paris, France, Japan, Australia, Singapore, America, Mexico…you've always wanted to go to those places…" Another chuckle. "It's just the two of us. Camping, hiking, mountain climbing, scuba diving, skinny dipping…" A low, satisfied 'hmm' came from her lips. "Sometimes, I wish we could have that life."

It took another while before she answered, sighing, "You don't really mean that, Athrun."

"Sometimes, I think I really do," he admitted.

Cagalli placed a hand against his cheek, softly caressing it, "But…as much as I want to have that life with you, I can't. You know I can't. I have to do this…to atone for my sins, for my father's sake…for Orb's sake. You understand, don't you, Athrun?"

"I do," he whispered, pressing his lips against her temple. "But that doesn't mean I like seeing you like this – tired and stressed out. It's the middle of the night. You've got less than four hours when you have to go to the office…"

"Sacrifices have to be made, you know," she pointed out, entangling herself from Athrun's arms, putting down the glass of tequila on the table.

"You'll die young if you keep this up," Athrun arched an eyebrow.

She gave him a bittersweet smile, "I was lucky not to die any younger than I am now. We were both lucky."

Athrun gave out a loud sigh and Cagalli walked towards him, putting back the hand against his cheek, "You know I love you, Athrun. So much. So much that it hurts. And you know that I would want to live a life with you…travel…just the two of us, peaceful, carefree. No more wars, no more stress, no more hiding, no more paperwork. Just you and me. Then maybe after a few years, we get married, settle down on a beach somewhere, have a kid or two …then we could sit on the swing you made many years ago when the kids were still young, on the porch of our little house, holding hands, our hair white with wrinkles on our faces. Then we would be watching our little grandkids playing in the sand…"

"That's a beautiful dream," Athrun smiled.

"But it's just a dream," Cagalli finished, letting go of the hand on Athrun's cheek.

"Is it?" Athrun asked, holding her hand, his fingers interlacing with hers.

Cagalli smiled then shrugged, "Who knows? Maybe Reality could cut us some slack and give us what we want for once."

Then the two laughed together heartily, relishing in this small but unforgettable moment in their lives.

* * *

**Don't know where this came from.**

**I was just in my Athrun and Cagalli portion in my brain and this popped out. Dreams. Ah, wonderful, aren't they?**

**I've always felt that if those two wanted a life far from politics and war, they'd go for life on the beach. I personally wouldn't like to live on beaches. Never really liked beaches all that much...but it's scenic. And gorgeous. And peaceful. And besides, the whole 'Reverend Malchio's orphanage beside the seashore' was getting pretty good in my head. LOL.**

**Anyway, I got some free time in my hands. Not really. But, I needed to rest my mind a while and Asucaga does just that.**

**So, I hope you all enjoyed the read and please, of course, as always, review! They mean the world to me! Makes me freakin' happy that I'd jump around with a goofy smile on my face. Not kidding. =)))**


	9. The Ungodly Hour

**Disclaimer: If I were the owner of Gundam SEED/ Destiny, then I would've been killed by rabid Asucaga fans a long time ago.**

* * *

**The Ungodly Hour**

Ring.

Ignore it.

Ring.

Ignore it.

Riiing.

Ignore it more.

Riiiiiinnnnggg.

Ignore it – oh god damn it!

A string of muttered profanities left Athrun's lips as he sat up groggily and snagged the phone off the bedside table, irritated. He rasped angrily, "Hello?"

"Yougottahelpme! Haroisn'tworking! Haroisn'tworking!"

"For heaven's sake, Kira, can you please slow down?" Athrun's eyebrows were twitching in annoyance at the panicked voice of his best friend, or in this case, 'the moron who woke him up'.

"Athrun," Kira breathed in. "You've got to help me! Haro isn't working and Lacus wants me to fix it!"

"So?" Athrun asked impatiently. "I don't see the problem."

"The problem? You don't see the problem? You don't see it?" Kira's voice went up alarmingly. "The problem is that I can't fix it! That's the problem!"

"I thought I already taught you how to fix Haro two months ago?" Athrun gave a sharp sigh.

"Well, yeah, I know you did," Kira was being obviously fidgety.

"And so may I ask you why you are calling me for technical difficulties about your girlfriend's mechanical pet?" Athrun gritted his teeth.

"Look, uh – the thing is, I already tore the thing apart, put it together again and everything but it still won't work!" Kira said. "It's like dead or something!"

"Then that's your problem!" Athrun groaned.

"B – but, but but…"

"But what?" Athrun's voice lowered frighteningly and Kira swallowed a nervous gulp. Maybe it wasn't such a bright idea to call up Athrun this late…

"Um, well, please!" Kira whined. "Come on, you used to help me with my projects when we were younger!"

"Please, Kira," Athrun groaned. "Don't stoop to the level of bringing back our schooldays."

"Oh come on! Just this once!" Kira insisted. "_Please, please, pretty please? Pretty please with a cherry on top?_"

"You sound like a girl," Athrun told him flatly.

"I don't care!" Kira said. "I just want to get Haro fixed! I can't let Lacus think I can't do anything! What kind of boyfriend would she think I am?"

"Uh, troublemaking, annoying, whiny…" Athrun started to list. "Has a _very_ bad sense of time…?"

"Athrun!" Kira moaned and Athrun cringed at his tone. "_Not helping anything_! Look, can't you just tell me what to do? Or, I know! You could come over here right now!"

"What – come over – go there _now?_!" Athrun exclaimed incredulously.

"Yeah!"

"Are you freakin' _mad_, Kira?" Athrun half-yelled. "It's _three in the morning_. The orphanage is _four hours away_ by car. And Cagalli and I will be dropping by _later for brunch_!"

"But Athrun – "

"Can't you just wait for a _few damned hours_ and get some _damned sleep _so that _certain_ people like myself could get _their_ damned sleep too?" Athrun's eyebrow was dangerously twitching.

"I su – suppose…I could wait…" Kira said meekly.

"Then wait!" Athrun exclaimed.

"Ath – "

Then Athrun slammed the phone down on the table and rested his head against the pillow, sighing. A voice then said, "I know you're angry at Kira but you don't have to take it out on the phone."

Athrun sighed again, "How long have you been awake?"

"Since the start of your conversation," the blond in his arms sat up, smiling coyly at him.

Athrun gave her a half-lidded glare, "You could've _saved_ me from him!"

"Wasn't feeling like it," Cagalli shrugged carelessly before flopping back down onto the pillows and into his arms where she cuddled to him.

"Ugh," Athrun groaned then turned his head towards Cagalli's still smiling face.

"You know," she whispered. "I think he's intentionally calling you because he thinks that we were…doing…certain activities…"

Athrun grinned.

"I think he's on to us," Cagalli wagged her eyebrows.

"Is that so?" Athrun smirked, pulling her closer towards him.

"Mhmm," Cagalli smiled, pressing her lips to his in an innocent manner.

Athrun deepened the kiss which turned into a full make out session. When they gasped for breath after a while, Cagalli panted, "I thought you said you wanted to sleep."

"Not when we're doing this," Athrun pointed out, grinning.

Cagalli tilted her head, biting her lip, "But it's in the middle of the night…"

Athrun shrugged, "Blame your brother. He was the one who woke us up."

"Can't argue with that."

* * *

"So, what's the problem?" Kira peered from behind Athrun's shoulder.

Athrun was already on the verge of tearing apart his best friend's body, his whole body twitching and he was gripping the screwdriver he was holding tightly, turning his knuckles dangerously white.

"Well?"

"Kira…" Athrun said, his voice low. "I know that you're a genius…"

"Yeah?"

"But sometimes, I _really_ want to kill you!" he yelled. "Do you want to know what's wrong with Haro? _Do you_?"

"I'm not so sure right now," Kira shook his head, shrinking back in fear.

"The batteries were _dead_. You just need to change the _damned batteries_!"

* * *

**So, first of all, I have zilch info regarding robotics and complicated mechanism that is present in machines such as Haro. That's why please don't give me grief if Haro doesn't have batteries...I just couldn't think of a simpler problem.**

**Anyway, I saw that this was stored in my files for what, three months already or something? I was looking through my documents then I found this one so I decided to publish it!**

**I personally wouldn't want to be disturbed when sleeping...I doubt anyone wants to be disturbed when asleep and Athrun's no exception. Sure, those military training made him alert and everything but that doesn't mean he has to like being woken up from his sleep, right? Right?**

**Hope this short oneshot doesn't freak or creep you guys out or anything. Oh, and note that the oneshots don't necessarily follow a certain timeline except the fact that they're all within the two year gap between SEED and Destiny and they may have inconsistencies because I just write what my most recent daydream is about.**

**I wish you guys enjoyed it and please review! =)))**


	10. Bedtime Stories

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED/ Destiny.**

* * *

**Bedtime Stories**

"You know, I bet if someone made a TV series about our experiences in the war, it'd be a hit," Dearkka mused absentmindedly, his head resting on Milly's lap, his feet propped up on the arm of the couch.

Yzak, sitting next to the chair adjacent to Dearkka, scoffed, "Yeah right, as if anyone wants to pay to see us go all emo."

"I think I'd make good money being dramatic," Dearkka defended. "I might actually make it as an actor."

"In your dreams, Honey," Milly said, playfully ruffling her boyfriend's hair.

"I agree," Cagalli pointed out and then narrowed her eyes at Dearkka. "And please, feet off the couch."

"It's not your apartment, Cagalli," Dearkka arched an eyebrow.

"Well, it's Athrun's and so by extension, it's mine," Cagalli shrugged.

"Abusing your girlfriend status…" Dearkka muttered under his breath but Cagalli ignored him, causing both Milly and Shiho to laugh.

Athrun then leaned on the island table beside Cagalli, crossing his arms, "She's right, you know. And besides, since when did my apartment become a hangout place? And please don't spend the night here."

"That's a good idea, Athrun," Shiho smirked. "I don't want to spend some cash on hotel fare. You're such a good friend to suggest something like that. Thank you, Athrun."

"I wasn't being a good friend," Athrun groaned and Cagalli immediately leaned closer to him, placing herself in his arms. Dearkka sat up and saw the cuddling, wrinkling his nose in disgust. He then laughed suddenly, earning confused looks from his friends.

"And what's gotten you tickled pink all of the sudden?" Kira asked, an arm draped over Lacus' shoulder as they exited the kitchen and entered the sitting room.

"Oh no," Dearkka snickered, waving a hand. "I was just thinking if in fifteen years we were all married and everything…and you know how kids are so curious nowadays…"

"Just spit out what you want to say, Elseman," Yzak growled a little, obviously impatient.

"Imagine, Athrun and Cagalli's kid, maybe let's say, uh six or seven years old," this earned Dearkka arching of eyebrows from the aforementioned couple. "Athrun and Cagalli are like tucking the kid in bed and the kid wants a bedtime story."

"What are you getting at, Dearkka?" Lacus furrowed her eyebrows.

Dearkka continued, "And then the ever so doting parents asked their kid, 'What story would you want this time?'"

"Uh-huh," Shiho nodded slowly.

"And then the kid would think for a moment and then say, 'Tell me how you two first met!'" Dearkka guffawed.

Milly, Shiho, Lacus and Yzak then started laughing as well. The three others though were still confused.

"I don't see why that's funny at all," Athrun said.

"Imagine," Dearkka told him. "How did you and Cagalli first meet?"

At this, the three others' faces paled and they all laughed again, with Dearkka saying, "I could see your faces fifteen years from now! You're gonna start with, 'Um…well, you see…we got stuck on an island and we…uh…we kind of tried to kill each other…' Oh god, I could see the kid's face already!"

Athrun and Cagalli both widened their eyes and looked at each other.

"'Um…then, uh…we saw each other half naked…and then the next morning, um…that's when we introduced ourselves…we went on our separate ways then, not knowing that we'll be meeting again someday…" Dearkka finished, still laughing along with everyone else, except the spoken pair and Kira. "Your kid's gonna get scarred for life!"

Athrun and Cagalli shared another look and shook their heads simultaneously. "That's the worst thing I've ever heard," Cagalli shuddered.

"Sorry," Dearkka snickered, obviously insincere with his apology. "I just can't believe that's how you guys first met! I mean, really. You even flashed Athrun!"

"That was an _accident_! A crab was up my shirt!" Cagalli said exasperatedly, shooting Athrun a glare. "And besides, he wasn't even supposed to look!"

"What? I didn't do anything wrong!" Atjhrun defended himself. "I was just telling you you had a stowaway! How was I supposed to know that you were gonna raise your shirt up _that_ high?!"

Everyone, sans Kira, laughed again but Dearkka's was the loudest so the pair shot him a dirty look. Dearkka though, was unfazed, "Like I said, _hi – lar – ious_."

Kira then groaned all of the sudden, "You just _had_ to remind me that _my sister_ flashed _my best friend_ on _their first meeting_!"

* * *

**Soo random, yeah I know. But I just couldn't help it!**

**I'm like, _'Ooh...Athrun and Cagalli in this situation...'_ and then my mind works on its own!**

**Anyway, as random as it may be, I hope you all enjoyed it and that I got a laugh out of you guys, you know, even if it's just one tiny giggle or chuckle.**

**And of course, as always, review! =)**


	11. She Hates Being Sick

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED/ Gundam SEED Destiny**

**She Hates Being Sick**

* * *

The smell of bacon and eggs made her wrinkle her nose in want. She unconsciously licked her lips and imagined a hearty meal before her, and just as she was about to reach out for that irresistible crispy fried chicken, she heard a loud thump.

She was annoyed. Who dared interrupt her meal? She was going to kill –

Then she felt the pain on her head, and rubbing the bump there, she realized that she was the cause of the loud thump, having fallen off the bed.

She lazily opened her eyes, rubbing them grouchily, and feeling that her whole body was numb from the fall. She stretched her legs out on the floor and twisted her neck a bit. The tempting smell from the kitchen went into her nostrils which flared a bit, and as if on cue, her stomach grumbled.

"_Ooh_," she moaned, clutching her stomach, biting her lower lip. She stood up groggily, stumbling a bit. She scratched her head, trying to keep away her blond bangs that were covering her sight. She leaned against the wall dividing the bedroom and the living room which was adjacent to the kitchen. She sighed as she saw the familiar blue hair, in his normal sharp clothes and funnily, as well as ironically, a fluffy pink apron that Lacus insisted she buy. She studied him as he busily maneuvered his way about the kitchen, and she zeroed in on him being the suspect to that delicious fragrance that was the root of both of her happiness and suffering. "What exactly are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" He said, not turning around to face her. "I'm making breakfast."

"You do know that _I'm_ the girl, right?" She said in that feisty tone of hers.

"And you _do_ know that you're _sick_, right?" He retorted, still not facing her, though he smiled inwardly as he silently turned the stove off.

"I'm not sick!" She defended, and he finally turned around, putting her breakfast on a plate, his emerald eyes sparkling against the sunlight, challenging her. She gulped, "I was just…not feeling very well."

"Which is the definition of being sick," he stated, smirking as he placed her breakfast on the table.

"_No_, the definition of being sick is when your temperature is above the normal which is 37 degrees, and I'm pretty sure I'm 37 degrees flat," she said matter-of-factly, her chin up high.

"_No_, that's the definition of _fever_," he pointed out, taking off that horridly pink apron.

"Well, isn't having a fever and being sick just the same thing?" She said, waving a hand around, shrugging.

"I suppose…"He said thoughtfully, walking towards her. He brushed away her blond locks from her face, smiling slightly as his hand touched her fragile face. At the contact, she took in a deep breath, and she started to blush. "You're getting warmer, Cagalli. You _are_ having a fever."

This time, Cagalli flushed bright tomato red, "_No,_ I'm _not_ getting warmer because I have a fever, _Idiot_!"

"Then why are you getting warmer?" He taunted at her, smiling innocently. "And redder?"

"That's um…that's because…um…" Cagalli swallowed, meeting his gaze as he slowly leaned in towards her. Her reasoning disappeared at the back of her throat as he lifted her chin, touching her pink lips with his in a soft kiss. Cagalli, despite blushing scarlet red, kissed him back and after they parted, she chuckled, "You're going to catch my fever if we continue doing this, you know."

"So you admit that you _do_ have a fever!" He grinned.

Cagalli's eyes widened in realization, flushing again, "Whatever, Athrun!"

"And I can kiss you all I want because I don't get sick, remember?" Athrun stated proudly, preparing to kiss her again.

"Oh yeah, you don't. You, Kira, Lacus, Dearkka, Yzak, Shiho and the rest of you coordinators don't," Cagalli grumbled, pushing Athrun a step away. "Crap, you know, that's the _one_ thing I hate about you guys! _You don't get sick_! I mean, you don't get to take _disgusting medicine_ and _weird soup concoctions_ by the nearest relative! You don't get to be tortured into swallowing a thousand pills that taste _yucky_ and you don't get to feel – " Cagalli then made a weird expression that involved a disgusting face, a stuck-out tongue, shuddering, a new style of groaning and incomprehensible words that made Athrun arch an eyebrow in amusement.

"I think that's the point of us being genetically engineered _not_ to get sick," Athrun chuckled, crossing his arms.

"Screw you!" Cagalli crossed her arms too, grumbling. "I _hate_ being sick!"

"Well, look at it this way," Athrun shrugged his shoulders. "At least you get to stay in bed and be pampered."

"But I _hate_ being pampered!" Cagalli moaned.

"Even by me?" Athrun arched an eyebrow.

"_Especially_ by you!" Cagalli rolled her eyes in exasperation.

Athrun sighed, "What am I going to do with you, Cagalli?"

Cagalli shrugged, "Nothing, just leave me – "

But Cagalli was cut off as Athrun suddenly lifted her up bridal style, with the bride being inconveniently naughty, moving and waving her limbs around.

"Hey! Athrun! _Athrun!_ Put me down! I _demand_ that you put me down _this instant_!" Cagalli screamed, her limbs flailing about.

"You want me to put you down?" Athrun asked cheekily.

"Put me down! Put me down! _Put me down_!" Cagalli yelled like a five year old girl.

"Alright then," Athrun shrugged, throwing the wannabe child on the bed.

"Hey!" Cagalli pouted. "That _hurt_!"

Athrun smiled, putting both his hands flat on the edge of the bed, "Well, you told me to put you down, didn't you? So I did!"

"Why I never – !" Cagalli scoffed, narrowing her eyes.

"Oh," Athrun straightened up, tackling Cagalli down on the bed, and covering and trapping her with loads of blankets and comforters and large pillows. "And Lacus said she'd drop by, mentioning something about pink, fluffy dresses?"

Cagalli's eyes widened in fear, "Athrun, you _wouldn't!_"

Athrun feigned hearing nothing, "Let me get your breakfast for you…you must be starving!"

Cagalli was steaming, trying to get out of the prison which was made of blankets and pillows, but to no avail, "Athrun! _Athrun!_ _Come back here!_ You _can't_ do this to me!"

"Oh," Athrun smiled evilly from the door. "Myrna also mentioned that she'd be coming by to cook you her famous noodle soup! She said that you loved it so much that you _always _swallowed the whole thing in a second!"

"_That _was because I threw it on the _nearest plant_!" Cagalli gaped, moaning. "_Athrun_!"

"This is for your own good, Darling," Athrun gave her one of his most charming smiles. "Just let Myrna and Lacus do their magic and then you'll be all better, alright?"

"Magic? What _magic_?" Cagalli groaned. "It's evil sorcery, that's what it is! _It's evil! Evil_!"

"Don't worry, you'll get well soon." With that, Athrun strutted out of their shared bedroom, leaving a pouting, grumbling and moaning Cagalli.

"_I hate being sick_!"

* * *

**Ok, so this was a pretty short, very random, late, totally unrelated Valentines gift to our favorite couple!**

**I just came up with this like, just now and wrote it down before I forgot about it...**

**Anyway, I wanna apologize to the readers of "Just Luck". Don't worry, I'm not gonna take it down or anything, but I probably won't be able to update anything until maybe April or May. I might update "Between the Stars" every now and then but I definitely cannot update "Just Luck". Not yet, anyway.**

**Again, I apologize profusely for the delay but I'm really busy these days with the school play and finals coming up; everything's just so hectic! **

**Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this short oneshot and I hope that I'd hear from you guys what you think about it!**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**

**Cheers! Happy Hearts Day, everyone!**

**~Aly**


	12. Rebound

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

**Between the Stars - Rebound**

**"_Why? _Athrun, she is arguably the _most beautiful woman_ in the _universe_, she's _your ex fiancée_ and she was the one who dumped _you_, not the other way around! I mean, come on, don't tell me that you _never_ once thought of me as a rebound." -Cagalli Yula Athha**

* * *

**Rebound**

It was just another ordinary and peaceful day for Kira Yamato. Miriallia visited the orphanage today, so she and Lacus went to town to do some shopping. They invited Cagalli to go with them but his sister was being her tomboyish self, claiming that she'd rather play tag with the kids than, and he quoted, "bloody my hands in anything that's got a tag and smells like car perfume mixed with hair spray, hair gel and face powder." He honestly could never decipher how she could come up with such descriptions. He was trying to decode a file that Miss Ericka had sent a day before when he felt that something was at a loss.

It was quiet. Too quiet.

He went out of his room, peeking into the hallways, clucking his tongue. He furrowed his eyebrows. Just minutes ago, he heard children laughing. Now, it's like they disappeared into thin air.

He frowned. Just as he stepped onto the sitting room where toys were scattered everywhere, he heard footsteps on the porch and saw Sue and Andrea - two of the older orphans, both of whom were turning eleven that year – enter the room.

"Sue, Andy, where's everyone?" Kira called.

"Oh, down at the beach," Sue, the brunette, answered. "Andy and I just came back to get some pails and shovels and stuff."

"Hey, they're there!" Andy, the redhead, pointed to the kitchen counter. She turned towards Kira, "We asked you earlier if you wanted to come with, don't you remember?"

"You did?" Kira arched his eyebrow.

"Yeah," Sue chimed in as she and Andy grabbed the beach items. "Aunt Caridad was the one who knocked on your door..."

"Oh, yeah..." Kira then remembered his mother's voice from behind the door of his room. "I forgot."

"Kira, I never knew you already had Alzheimer's," Andy snickered and Sue joined in.

Kira gave them an annoyed look before rolling his eyes, "So, Athrun and Cagalli are also with you?"

"Um no, only Aunt Caridad and Reverend Malchio," Sue said. "Cagalli said she was gonna finish some paperwork."

"Yup," Andrea agreed. "But the weird thing is, Cagalli and Athrun were grinning like it's Christmas morning. I mean, I know that Cagalli's gonna be the chief representative soon but I don't get how she could _ever_ think that doing paperwork is fun."

At this point, Kira's face blanched.

"Uh, Kira, you okay?" Andrea tilted her head.

"Um, yeah yeah..." Kira stammered. "Uh, why don't you girls go back to the beach?"

"Okay..." Sue narrowed her eyes at Kira before shrugging and taking Andrea out of the orphanage by the hand. "We'll be at the beach then."

Kira then glared at the room Athrun and Cagalli were spending the weekend in, stomping his way there.

* * *

Athrun grinned against Cagalli's lips as he hovered his body over hers on the bed. "You should do more paperwork next time we visit, Cagalli..."

"Oh shut up," Cagalli giggled, raking her hands in Athrun's hair. She pressed her lips against Athrun's, her hands sliding down towards his shirt, promptly unbuttoning his top.

Athrun made his way towards her throat, emitting a strangled moan from Cagalli who bit her lip in an almost successful attempt in silencing herself. She took off Athrun's shirt, discarding it on the bed just as Athrun's hands trailed her curves, caressing her thighs in the end. Cagalli wrapped both arms around her boyfriend's neck and slowly pushed him upwards with her body.

"I am _so _glad you turned down that shopping trip," Athrun chuckled.

"Yeah right," Cagalli murmured, almost smirking. "As if _you're_ the reason why I declined in the first place."

As she said that, Athrun took off her red tank top, throwing it on the floor, and smirking himself, he said, "I know, but I'm still grateful that -"

"_ATHRUN ZALA, IF YOU DARE TOUCH ANY PART OF MY SISTER'S SKIN, I SWEAR I WILL BURN YOU ALIVE_!" Kira's growl from behind the door made the couple stop whatever it was that they were doing.

Rolling his eyes, Athrun almost reluctantly climbed out of the bed as Cagalli grabbed Athrun's shirt and started buttoning it up on herself rapidly.

Kira's hard knocks on the door weren't helping.

"_ATHRUN, OPEN THIS DOOR OR ELSE I WILL BREAK IT DOWN INTO PIECES AND BEAT YOU UP WITH THEM! ZALA!_"

Athrun sighed, and even though he was only half dressed, he decided to welcome Kira's wrath, "Yes?"

"Is it _not _enough that I let you two share a room during your visits?" Kira hissed. "You just _had_ to do stuff like this where a _priest_ and kids _who aren't even teenagers yet_ live! Seriously, Athrun?"

"We weren't gonna do _it_, Kira," Athrun pointed out.

"Yeah and you're not half naked," Kira narrowed his eyes at Athrun's state of undress.

At this, Athrun almost blushed, "Well...we were just..."

"We were _just _making out Kira," Cagalli rolled her eyes. "No need to throw a hissy fit over it."

Kira narrowed his eyes at his sister, and Cagalli continued, "And besides, everyone's at the beach."

"That doesn't mean you guys can do _who knows what_ here!" Kira said through gritted teeth.

"Oh, like you and Lacus?" Cagalli tilted her head playfully, smirking.

Kira flushed, causing Athrun to chuckle, "Whatever, Cagalli! Just...don't do..._that!_"

"Duly noted, Kira," Athrun nodded. "Now why don't you go to the beach? Cagalli and I will catch up with you in a minute."

"_Fine_," Kira glared at the couple before stalking off.

Athrun closed the door, snickering, "For once, I wasn't scared about him ripping my head off."

"That's because you have a tendency to go suicidal all of a sudden," Cagalli deadpanned just as she climbed out of the bed and walked to the closet. "But he's right you know...we shouldn't do it _here_, where there are _kids_. I definitely _do not_ want to be the one to introduce sex to them."

Athrun laughed and a thoughtful expression came to his face, "Hey, how did you know about sex?"

"How did _you_ know about sex?" Cagalli countered, smirking.

"I asked you first."

"So?"

Athrun sighed, "I entered ZAFT when I was barely fourteen. I was bound to hear something sooner or later."

Cagalli laughed, "Well I got it worse. I attended military training _and _eavesdropped on the maids back at the estate when I was bored." Cagalli widened her eyes dramatically then, "Did you know that Rivers did Shannon?"

"Shannon?" Athrun said, surprised. "Huh, I never knew she was his type."

Cagalli shrugged, "You grow up with a lot of twenty something women in the house, you learn stuff you're not supposed to."

"Yeah, you're right," Athrun chuckled.

Cagalli took out her bathing suit and put it on the bed, saying, "Hey, when you went to ZAFT, you were already engaged to Lacus right?"

"Yes," Athrun nodded. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you've heard stuff and when you graduated, you were already in the "_experimenting_" stage... Were you ever aroused by Lacus?" Cagalli asked, refusing to look Athrun in the eye.

"No, I guess I never thought of Lacus as someone who I'd be comfortable having sexual relations with," Athrun shrugged.

"Really? You were _never_ aroused by the fact that _you're_ fiancée's an adorably amazing, incredibly sexy, sensationally beautiful pink haired pop star _goddess_?"

"Ok, two thoughts are coming to mind. One, you're jealous of Lacus and two, you're somehow falling in love with her," Athrun rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Please don't tell me you're gay and choosing this time to come out of the closet."

Cagalli rolled her eyes, "No, I'm _not_ gay!"

"So you're jealous?"

"No...!"

"Then why the adjectives and adverbs?"

"Uh..."

"_Cagalli._"

"_Fine!_" Cagalli said, exasperated, crossing her arms defiantly. "I admit it, ok! I'm _jealous_ of Lacus! I feel _inferior_ in _every_ way possible towards her! Now stop taunting me!"

Athrun sighed, sitting on the bed beside where Cagalli stood, "And why exactly are you jealous of Lacus?"

"_Why?_" Cagalli said incredulously. "Athrun, she is arguably the _most beautiful woman_ in the _universe_, she's _your ex fiancée_ and she was the one who dumped _you_, not the other way around! I mean, come on, don't tell me that you _never_ once thought of me as a rebound."

"Since when have you felt that? What brought this on?" Athrun's eyebrows furrowed worriedly.

"She's been your fiancée for three years, Athrun," Cagalli sat down beside him. "That oughta have meant something to you."

"It did. It still does," Athrun said, holding Cagalli's hand. "But she was _never_ my fiancée to begin with because we were _never_ meant to be lovers."

"But you looked pretty depressed when she blatantly dumped _you_..."

"Please don't say that she dumped me, Cagalli. It kinda damages my ego," he chuckled softly. "But yes, I was sad. I mean, she chose my best friend over me and there are times that I ask myself why she did that. Why did Lacus choose Kira over me? What did Kira have that I didn't?" Cagalli slowly pulled her hand away from Athrun's grasp. "I was, you can say, heartbroken. But then I see _you_." Athrun took Cagalli's hand again, this time holding her hand with both of his. "And I _know_ that if Lacus hadn't broken up with me, _I_ would've been the one to officially end things between us."

"_Why?_" Cagalli choked out.

"Lacus may be beautiful and kind and good with words but _you_ – you are _strong_ and _stubborn_ and _feisty_. You make me _smile_...you make me want to _live_. You bring out the best in me which is something that even Lacus, in a _million_ years, can _never_ do. You make me remember what it is I'm fighting for..._why_ I'm fighting, or rather, why I _protect_. Cagalli, Lacus may be my first crush, but you're my first _love_. I love _you_, Cagalli, not Lacus."

"I love you too," Cagalli sniffed, leaning her head on Athrun's shoulder.

They spent a few moments like that before Athrun tilted Cagalli's head towards him, "Now _you_ look me in the eye and tell me that _you_ never had a crush on Kira before the whole "we're twins" thing because you _definitely_ had something for Kira."

"I _did_," Cagalli blushed, pulling away from Athrun's gaze, standing up. "But I also had a thing for _you_ too. I mean, _come on_, did you _seriously_ think that _I_, _of all people_, would be assigned to watch _you_ when _you_ came here with the Justice?"

"I knew something fishy was going on back there," Athrun grinned. "But how could you be attracted to me? The first time we met, you tried to kill me. The second time we met, well you didn't try to kill me but I'm pretty sure you were racking your brains in ways on how to kill me or at least torture me."

"What can I say? I have weird tastes in men," Cagalli took the bathing suit and facing away from Athrun, she slipped into it. She took a glance at him, grinning, "And besides, I saw you half naked the first time we met. That kinda stuck to my memory."

"So you fell in love with my abs?" Athrun chuckled.

"Yep, I fell in love with your abs," Cagalli laughed good naturedly.

Cagalli still didn't turn around to face Athrun even though she's already done with wearing her bathing suit. "The truth is, when the whole Flay incident happened and we were alone in the hallway - the time when I leaned on your shoulder the first time, _that moment_…that was when I realized that I _trusted_ you. That I could really, _really_ open up to you, trust you not just with my life but with my _everything_, with every dirty little secret that I have. That was the time when I realized that I felt safe when I'm around you. You say that I'm strong -"

She turned around to face him, a serene smile onher face. "But I'm stronger when I'm with you. I doubt I could've survived the last few months if you aren't here by my side."

Athrun smiled, clearly touched by her words, "I love you, Cagalli. _So much_."

"I love you too."

But just as he stood up and leaned in for a sweet and innocent kiss, they heard Kira belt from outside, "_HEY! YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN IN THERE FOR TEN FREAKIN MINUTES! DIDNT I JUST TELL YOU TWO NO FUNNY BUSINESS?!_"

* * *

**...because, let's face it, AsuCaga's a rebound couple despite the fact that we all know they were going to end up together (in SEED anyway) since Episode 1, before we even knew who they were and before the whole story even started because of the opening theme.**

**Hey guys! Yes, I am very much alive and well, but I feel horrible for not being able to update in such a long while. I have no excuses. I just really can't write. And I don't know when I'll be able to update my ongoing fiction, Just Luck. I might actually put it on hiatus until further notice but rest assured that there is no way I'm letting Just Luck go. I've got the whole story in mind already, I just need to write everything down which can be a bit hard.**

**Anyway, this little oneshot is precisely what I think Athrun and Cagalli's relationship is like. They were both clearly on the rebound but I firmly believe that they learned to love each other and that in the end, they truly appreciated one another. Despite what happened in Destiny, I still like to believe that Athrun and Cagalli found their happily ever after somehow...with each other. 3 **

**This is my opinion, and mine alone on Athrun and Cagalli's relationship. I really hope you guys enjoyed it since it's the first chapter/oneshot I've completely since 2013 started, and I'm not happy with my progress. But I wish you all liked it and please drop me a review and tell me what you think about this fic entitled Rebound!**

**Thank you, everyone!**

**Cheers!**

**~Aly**


	13. On Taking Sides

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED/ Destiny**

**On Taking Sides**

* * *

"_Lacus told you_?" Athrun exclaimed, groaning at the same time.

"What did you expect, Athrun?" Cagalli arched an elegant eyebrow from her position on the couch, smirking at the exasperated man in front of her.

"Well, I expected that she would've kept this little thing between us," Athrun said matter-of-factly.

Cagalli chuckled in turn, standing up and walking towards him, "You should've known better, Sweetie."

"_Now_ I do," Athrun rolled his eyes. "But I am still in a state of shock. I never pegged Lacus to be someone who blurts out secrets."

"Athrun, _please_," Cagalli waved a hand in dismissal, smirking again. "Lacus may be your childhood friend – sort of – and your former fiancée, but those don't trump the fact that she's _my _best friend. So, in any situation wherein you and I are on opposing sides, or if worst comes to worst, we break up; expect her to be on _my _team, not yours."

"It would seem like, that if we, unfortunately, did break up, all of our friends would be on _your_ team," Athrun sighed, feeling lonely all of a sudden.

Cagalli had a thoughtful expression on her face, "That is _so _true."

But Athrun's lips quirked upwards, "And that is why, in whatever circumstances, I am _never_ going to let you go."

Suddenly, Cagalli felt hot. Damn, she hated it whenever he did that.

* * *

**Let's just say that whatever Lacus told Cagalli is something Athrun desperately wants to keep secret. I'm sorry I can't tell you exactly what the secret is...my mind didn't go that far. Hehehehe.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this short, and please drop a review before you go!**

**Thank you for reading!**

**Cheers!**

**~Aly**


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